WASHBURN, Maine — The Maine School Administrative District 45 board of directors in Washburn is considering a range of options for a new harvest break policy, said board member Jan Grieco.
Since last fall, the MSAD 45 board has been discussing whether to revisit the harvest break amid concerns from teachers about the educational impact and relatively low number of students who participate, Grieco said.
Last fall, approximately 20 percent of Washburn high school students worked in harvest-related jobs while about 50 percent did not work in any job, Grieco said. Currently, the entire MSAD 45 district breaks for three weeks during the harvest period.
The board held public hearings in December and January, but few people attended, and the board ended up voting in early January to have its policy committee explore options “that might meet farmer needs without impacting the majority of students,” Grieco said.
The policy committee is now set to meet to discuss ideas on Jan. 29, Grieco said.
“We have a number of ideas we’re looking at. We really want to sit down and look at them. We decided to wait to hash them out at the meeting.”
One option she mentioned would be allowing students to work harvest jobs with excused absences. That and other options would involve ensuring the policy is consistent with state education laws, she added.
On Jan. 16, the MSAD 1 board of directors voted to keep Presque Isle High School’s three week harvest break, a year after the board had voted to phase out the break.
